What does the fall out from Hardy’s suspension have to do with a Chinese proverb? I’m glad you asked!
So, Jeff Hardy’s suspended for 60 days after earning his second strike in the WWE’s Wellness Program. The first one put him on the sidelines for Summerslam and canceled a match with Umaga, who, amusingly, would soon run afoul of WWE’s drug program as well. Umaga wound up dropping the Intercontinental Title to… Jeff Hardy! So, if Jericho gets busted, we’ve got two cursed belts floating around the WWE.
I’m sort of disappointed, given that it was nice to see some new blood ascend to the main event scene and I am a big fan of the Hardy Boys and all, but this is right up there with RVD’s drug bust; it’s unfortunate that a unique, entertaining performer’s shot at running with the ball’s been cut short, but it’s not like he’s a victim here. At the very least, it makes the decision to not put the belt on him at the Rumble seem very smart now.
It’s also like RVD in that it’s hard to feel much sympathy for the bind WWE’s in as far as booking plans when they’re trusting a guy notorious for his addictions. While Jeff isn’t as blatant about it as Rob, he is less than a year from blowing a big payday due to what was in his urine. Admittedly, I doubt they had plans to make him “the man” on RAW, so it probably doesn’t hurt them too much.
So, to tie this in to the whole Chinese Proverb I mentioned in the teaser, the WWE is cursed to be living in interesting times here. Of course, given how many incidents like this they’ve had since Eddie died, that’s not anything new. But it certainly throws a high profile match at ‘Mania in to chaos, which can never be fun for booking, no matter what you think of the creative staff.
That said, given how rotely predictable the WWE’s booking can be, when these kinds of things happen it can really inject a lot of excitement in to the proceedings (like Shawn’s main event push last year after HHH went down). After all, Hardy was basically a lock to win the thing, given his push and the fact that he was riding a wave of momentum similar to Edge, RVD, and Kennedy in to the show. So now we have an interesting field of guys who can benefit from Jeff’s colossal mistake. Let’s take a look at them, shall we?
The Contenders:
Chris Jericho
Pro-It could help him break out of the funk he’s been in since returning, and set up an interesting feud with Jeff when he comes back.
Con-He doesn’t really need the elevation that Money in the Bank symbolizes, and since I doubt he plans on leaving RAW, there aren’t any fresh match ups to create with him holding the case.
Carlito
Pro-Elevates a guy to a level he’s never been on before and automatically makes him a big player, which is the point of the match in the first place. Conversely, could job it to a more deserving candidate if one presents itself.
Con-Would be a huge leap for him, as he hasn’t sniffed the main event since his first year in the company, and all of the others guys to win it have at least had main event programs for World Titles in their career, even if they were throw away ones. Also, he did spend time in the doghouse and almost quit the company over the course of 6 months last year.
Shelton Benjamin
Pro-He’s awesome! In my detached, objective opinion, of course. Also, he could stir things up a bit on ECW.
Con-Just got out of the doghouse himself, and is on ECW, so that’s two strikes right there. His bad dye job makes three.
Mr. Kennedy
Pro- A chance to try again with his main event push. Fresh matches on RAW and Smackdown present themselves.
Con-They tried this already and didn’t work out so well. He has no momentum after being massively depushed following injuries and being involved in a drug sting. Despite working with Shawn Michaels for a couple months, still hasn’t raised his game in the ring enough.
MVP
Pro-Has improved by leaps and bounds, and seems poised to break in to the main event anyway.
Con-He’s poised to break in to the main event anyway. That’s pretty much it, really.
And there are two guys fighting for a spot at the top of the hour.
CM Punk
Pro-Is CM Punk. That’s all you need from the smark perspective. The live crowds are in to him, too, as long as he doesn’t steal the Three Amigos.
Con-Is CM Punk. All you need from WWE Management’s perspective.
Big Daddy V
Pro-A briefcase would compliment Matt Striker’s wardrobe perfectly.
Con-Too reminiscent of main event bomb King Mabel to warrant going down that road again.
And here are a few dark horse candidates, if they go with 8 participants again.
Matt Hardy
Pro-Was on the cusp of main eventing before getting hurt. Famous for these matches.
Con-Too much of a screw you to his brother for him to go along with? That’s a possibility. Also, this assumes a lot more affection for Matt on the WWE’s part than is likely.
John Morrison-
Pro-Has improved quite a bit since holding the ECW Championship over the summer. Could be a good match up for the likes of Cena and HHH.
Con-Probably not ready for this push just yet, given his ECW run was underwelming; really, he and Miz probably benefit more from being a tag team than going back in to working singles matches.
Santino Marella
Pro-Is a heat magnet.
Con-Pretty much all he’s good for.
The Great Khali
Pro-Would be something new in the match. The ladder match could hide his weaknesses in the ring. Would be a credible threat. Also, his lack of a need to climb could be hilarious.
Con-This match is all about the high spots. Khali’s biggest one is a chop.
Jamie Noble
Pro-Can work this style of match. Has busted his ass and it would be nice to see him get a ‘Mania spot. Also, is a road agent.
Con-Being a road agent didn’t keep him from jobbing to a leprechaun.
Stevie Richards
Pro-Would be a great underdog story. Would be nice for him to get a spot after being in the company for so long
Con-Is pretty much a jobber in the WWE-Verse. Would be like putting Barry Horrowitz in the match circa ’95.
Elijah Burke
Pro- A lot of potential, would fit in very well in this match, could use a promotion to bigger show.
Con-Got lost in the shuffle of ECW, which has a roster you can count on two hands.
Ron Killings or Chris Harris
Pro- Cool surprise debut, worked the TNA equivalent of this match, so would fit in here.
Con- The audience will either have no idea who they are or wonder why Booker T got a tan and facial reconstuctive surgery.
London and Kendrick
Pro-Are awesome and stole the show in their only other ladder match.
Con-Are jobbers right now, and London must suffer for spoiling Ashley’s appearance on Survivor for the dozens who might have cared.
Super Crazy
Pro-Wears a sweet wrestling poncho.
Con-HHH is threatened by Crazy’s poncho and has assigned a creative staff member to hold him down because of it.
I refuse to really scrape the bottom of the barrel here. I watch HEAT; that’s enough, I think.
MVP seems like the most obvious choice to me, but maybe they’ll throw a curveball in there and elevate someone out of left field, or toss HBK or Flair in there. Or maybe they’ll let Snitskymania run wild; who the hell knows? Hopefully it will be an interesting ride.
